One of India's rare weak points in the series against England have been the Decision Review System (DRS) calls. On Day 3 of the fifth and final Test of the series in Dharamsala, India burnt two reviews in quick succession – both against Joe Root. Incidentally, on both occasions, there was a thick inside edge, leading commentators to criticise the side's decision-making skills.
The first review was taken in the 28th over as Kuldeep Yadav bowled to Root. The England batter, on the front foot to defend a flighted delivery on the stumps, edged the ball onto his pad. However, the Indian players were confident that Root was trapped plumb and opted for the DRS.
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Despite two clear sounds, Root gestured towards the bat, and Kuldeep did show hesitation before eventually giving in to the majority. Upon review, a significant inside edge was evident, rendering UltraEdge unnecessary.
A few overs later, a similar incident was repeated – this time off a delivery from Ravichandran Ashwin. Root misjudged this one from the off-spinner, deceived in his defence as he played outside the line.
{{/usCountry}}A few overs later, a similar incident was repeated – this time off a delivery from Ravichandran Ashwin. Root misjudged this one from the off-spinner, deceived in his defence as he played outside the line.
{{/usCountry}}The edge was detected before contact with the pad. An LBW appeal ensued, sparking a lengthy discussion. Ashwin appeared to discuss the impact's alignment, while Sarfaraz and other team members suggested it was out. The Ultra Edge showed that Root had, indeed, managed to get an inside edge onto the pad once more.
Sunil Gavaskar, who was on air during the second review, was critical of the decision-making; he expressed his surprise at the bowler being unable to see whether there was an inside edge. “The bowler is best placed to see if there's an edge,” Gavaskar remarked.
In the next over, as the replays were shown, Gavaskar said, “The wicketkeeper is the key man. The bowler will always want you to go up.”
In Rohit Sharma's absence (due to a stiff back), Jasprit Bumrah was the stand-in captain throughout both reviews. Barring the DRS calls, India enjoyed another impressive morning as the side picked half of the England's wickets in the first session, leaving them reeling at 105/5 in the second innings. The side have already clinched the series and are poised to end the series with a 4-1 scoreline.